Earbud holder with keyring tab...

The Earbud Holder from Thingiverse caught my attention recently. There was a comment asking if it could have a key chain loop added... it sure can! It's a matter of personal preference whether you print the version with or without the keyring tab, or take the design further. It's great how designs evolve.

 I fitted a small ring and short length of cord to the holder.

Notes:

I dropped the original Core .stl into Sketchup and drew on a tab with a hole in it, to which you could fit a keyring. I then took the evolving cover design from here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:38292 and put a notch in each cover so it would still close around the new keyring tab.

I then exported the new .stl files and ran them through Netfabb Cloud Service . It always does a good job of cleaning up the stl. They were now ready for printing... ABS, 50mm/sec, .4mm nozzle, .3mm width /.45mm height.

My first set of covers cracked as I tried to clip them on to the core. They broke along the print lines. On examination it was evident there was poor bonding between layers. I've been pushing the speed in recent times and at this point I expect the plastic just wasn't hot enough for the speed (230Deg C at 50mm/sec).

I increased the temperature to 245 Deg C. and reprinted just the two covers. Now, you know you should never change more than one parameter when troubleshooting, but I couldn't resist altering the layer height/width also, to increase the horizontal resolution and give a better fit between the parts. The covers were reprinted at .25mm height/.375mm width, 70mm/sec. 245 Dec C.

I've uploaded the modified design to Thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:39767

Enjoy!

NumberSix